A “Dereliction of duty” as 200 AsylumSeeking Children Go Missing From Hotels

By Zahra H

Around 200, mostly Albanian, children are missing from a hotel which houses asylum seekers, says minister. Labour described it as a “dereliction of duty.”

The immigration minister announced that about 10% of the child asylum seekers that arrived in the UK since 2021 have gone missing. He clarified; he had not seen evidence of abducted children but said he was "not going to let the matter drop".

There is concern that children are being taken from their accommodation and being trafficked into criminal gangs. Commons leader Penny Mordaunt talked of "stories of gangmasters turning up at hotels" and "taking people away".

“A Problem”

A lack of clarity plagues the question of whether the Home Office or local councils are responsible for the children.

Robert Jenrick acknowledged that the authority of councils in this area remains unclear but clarified that the government objective was to ensure that young people were only kept in hotels for a short amount of time.

Sources:BBCNEWS

Mr Jenrick told MPs that of all the children that had gone missing:

• 88% were Albanian.

• 13 were under 16, one of which was female.

Last year, the Sussex Police pursued a car, after it had followed 2 children outside a hotel.

“When they managed to get the car to safety, they released two child migrants, and they arrested one of the members who was driving it – a gang leader who was there to coerce the children into crime.”

Now, the deputy leader of Brighton and Hove City Council has written to the immigration minister as they claim that the Home Office has “failed in its duty of care.” Sussex police have said 76 minors are currently missing and many were placed in Brighton with only 24 hours of warning.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The wellbeing of children and minors in our area is an absolute priority.”